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The select committee considering the New Zealand equal marriage bill has heard from two charities which gave the benefits of legalising equal marriage for the physical and mental health of the population, in their submissions.

The potential physical and mental benefits of equal marriage were discussed at the New Zealand parliament by the select committee considering the bill to legalise it.

Submissions by Women’s Health Action and the Mental Health Foundation were heard by the committee in Auckland on MP Louisa Wall’s equal marriage bill.

Speaking for Women’s Health Action was Sandy Hall, who described that a significant number of the lesbian population had been threatened with violence, or had been physically or verbally abused.

She said that not allowing the bill to go through, and refusing equal marriage to become legal would send a message that it’s okay to discriminate.

The Mental Health Foundation also described how young, gay New Zealanders were five times more likely to have suicidal thoughts, and legalising equal marriage would benefit the gay population by giving them role models to look up to, reports Yahoo.

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